As the sun rose over Chicago, digital transformation was, again, on the minds of conference-goers, who gathered for a final day of digging into this topic.
During breakout sessions, Control System Integrators Association’s Jose Rivera explored the new opportunities (and new challenges) for the automation ecosystem presented in this
digital age. Wayne Perry of Kaeser Compressors revealed how a digital approach can reveal the massive, hidden leaks within compressed-air systems, which are costing enterprises millions each year.
Other topics included digital design and scalability in gas-processing, the role of augmented reality in uncovering new knowledge, the value of open-source communities and the idea of “optimization as a service.”
Presenters celebrated the reduction in wires within plants, and touted new frontiers in machine-productivity courtesy of the IIoT.
In the closing session, titled "Digital Transformation Requires Alignment of Technical, Organizational Architectures," Glen Allmendinger, president of Harbor Research, admitted that the roadmap to success has not yet been defined.
“But it’s still early in the game,” he stressed to a room full of digital-transformation players intent on winning.
